Quote:
Originally Posted by precaryous
I have dissociated under stress and through triggers since before I was ten years old and through adulthood. I have always had a very active inner child. I feel as though I am a child in an adult suit.
I have explored whether I was DID/Multiple, and I admit I don't know very much about it. I technically am not DID/Multiple, I am told, because I do not fit enough of the criteria.
My observation is, just because "experts" make up the criteria, it doesn't mean they totally grasp the issue.
My thinking is- we now know gender is a spectrum (not that gender is a disorder at all), we know autism has a spectrum. Maybe DID/Multiple is also on a spectrum? Maybe I didn't completely separate...Maybe I am partially torn? Maybe I am DID/Multiple not otherwise specified?
I may be totally off base here.
Do you think DID/Multiple can be on a spectrum?
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if you mean are there different types of DID like there is a bipolar 1 and bipolar two the answer is no, not here in the USA....
the term spectrum here in the USA means something does not fit a specific set of values.... Here in the USA there as been lengthy research and documentation on DID since way back in the 1800's to the present date so theres enough data that states DID has a specific set of values (diagnostic criteria of what DID is)
DID can .....affect.....a person in different ways but everyone who has DID here in america meets the same set of values (diagnostic criteria)
my therapist explained it to me like this.....
many people can have a cold, meet the same diagnostic criteria of having the cold virus. but they can have different symptoms...one person may have a stuffy nose, another may be coughing, another may have a head ache/body aches, and another can have any combo of those... but they all have the same cold virus that meets the same set of values (diagnostic criteria of what the cold virus is)
people with DID can have any number of / combination of......symptoms....but here in America in order to carry the diagnosis of DID the person has to meet the same set of values (Diagnostic criteria).....
example
one person with DID may hear voices another may not.
one person with DID may lose time every time they see an old man another may not
one person with may lose time when they are depressed another may not.
One person with DID may have two alters another may have many many more.
one person with DID may have a short amount of memory problems and another may have a whole lot of memory problems...
but all of these people if living in the USA must meet the same set of values (diagnostic criteria) before a treatment provider will label them with having DID....
here is what treatment providers in america now go by for what is DID...to find out what is DID in other locations around the world you will need to contact your own treatment providers. ....
Dissociative Identity Disorder 300.14 (F44.81)
A. Disruption of identity characterized by two or more distinct personality states which may be described in some cultures as an experience of possession. The disruption in identity involves marked discontinuity in sense of self and sense of agency, accompanied by related alterations in affect, behavior, consciousness, memory, perception, cognition, and or sensory-motor functioning. These signs and symptoms may be observed by others or reported by the individual.
B. Recurrent gaps in the recall of every day events, important personal information, and or traumatic events that are inconstant with ordinary forgetting.
C the symptoms cause clinical significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning.
D. The disturbance is not a normal part of a broadly accepted cultural or religious practice.
Note in children the symptoms are not better explained by imaginary playmates or other fantasy play.
E. The Symptoms are not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance (e.g. Blackouts or chaotic behavior during alcohol intoxication) or another medical condition (e.g. complex partial seizures)
along with this diagnostic criteria are 5 pages that go into more detail in categories of diagnostic features that explains the above diagnostics in more detail, Associated features supporting diagnosis, the statistical prevalence of the disorder, the development and course of the disorder, Risk and Prognosis Factors, Culture Related Diagnostic Issues, Suicide Risks and the Functional consequences of this disorder. The DSM 5 also addresses Differential Diagnosis (other dissociative disorders that share the same symptoms) and Comorbidity (having more than one diagnosis)
if you believe you have DID there are new diagnostic tests available through mental health treatment providers. your treatment provider will be able to explain the very long process of mental and physical health evaluations and can refer you to a treatment provider that can administer the testing procedures.